The grand opening ceremony was held at the site of yet another art installation, called “Monument”—a huge assembly of bright green Greek-style columns with their own rotating bookshelves built in, and a Mark Twain quote overhead.

Sound great, but why not also include quotes from Vonnegut, their local boy who made good?

These big little free libraries are OK, but I’m thinking we should make some really big, like, take a little free library, and make it so big you can actually walk inside of it. But still make it free! That would be great.

Nope. It’s like Chicago that way—blue island in a sea of red. Well, Chicago’s more like a competing ocean of its own, but same principle.

(At the opening ceremony, one of the architects recited a humorous poem he had written about the construction of his art project, that included expressing the desire to see Mayor Ballard run against Governor Mike Pence—because, the architect earnestly explained, he had needed something that would rhyme with “fence”. (Or “tense,” or something.) It got lots of chuckles, not least because Mayor Ballard was himself there.)

phidauex:

These big little free libraries are OK, but I’m thinking we should make some really big, like, take a little free library, and make it so big you can actually walk inside of it. But still make it free! That would be great.

Well, didn’t you see the photos of the monument? That’s effectively what it is. For that matter, “Table of Contents” is kind of that way, too.

milliefink:

Sound great, but why not also include quotes from Vonnegut, their local boy who made good?

A public library is the most enduring of memorials, the trustiest monument for the preservation of an event or a name or an affection; for it, and it only, is respected by wars and revolutions, and survives them.

And this is the circle with the big war memorial monument that people can actually go up inside that was constructed about the same time Twain said that. So, you know, it fits in.

Besides, given that I’m from Twain’s home state of Missouri, at least I appreciated it.

Also, I ought to thank Cory. His link of “Little Free Libraries” in the post above is to exactly the New York project that must have inspired this Indianapolis project to begin with. I spent ages trying to google something up while researching the story last night, but there were just too many things that came up when you searched on “New York” and “library” and “art”. I think I’m going to have to go update the original story now.

Yes. Amazing how they get away with such OBVIOUS shenanigans. Look at a goddamn map, people!

ETA: Black and Hispanic voters are thought to be so subjective, so “biased,” that they can’t be trusted. White voters, though, are the supposedly rational, objective ones. And so, they don’t think of such shenanigans, if they ever even hear about them, for the devious bs that they actually are.

As a Kentuckian, I get kinda sick of people who act like every single fucking person who spends more than a week in a “red” state magically turns into a hooting, queer-bashing redneck. Not least because some of you actually seem to believe it.

But this isn’t every single person we’re talking about, this is the government. Based on the last ten years’ experience, I’d say red state governments have a fair share of hooting, queer-bashing rednecks. Blue states get a few too, but seem to keep them under control better.

But Indianapolis is firmly blue. If anything, it got even more blue a few months ago in reaction to that RFRA thing the state legislature passed. You see yard signs all over: “Pence must go! Your rights could be next!” Every other business has some kind of sign up in the window proclaiming they proudly serve everybody regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation or identity. Mayor Ballard is taking fire from conservatives for unilaterally pushing through the BlueIndy electric-car-sharing project without asking anybody, but he’s doing it anyway. We’re blue, da-ba-di, da-ba-di.